Etihad begins inspection of fuel control switches on its Dreamliners

NEW DELHI: Fuel control switches are under the scanner following the preliminary report by AAIB into the June 12 crash of AI 171. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has begun an inspection of the locking mechanism of this switch across its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet after a flight to Hyderabad had to return to the UAE minutes after take off. Etihad started this inspection on July 13 and expects to complete the work in nine days.Air India had replaced the “throttle control module” (TCM) of the ill-fated B787-8 twice in last six years following a directive from Boeing in 2019. TCM houses, among other things, the fuel control switches.Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report said: “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ‘special airworthiness information bulletin’ (SAIB) on Dec 17, 2018, regarding the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. This SAIB was issued based on reports from operators of Model 737 airplanes that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. The airworthiness concern was not considered an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) by the FAA. The fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models including part number 4TL837-3D which is fitted in B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB.”“As per the information from Air India, the suggested inspections were not carried out as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory. The scrutiny of maintenance records revealed that the throttle control module was replaced on VT-ANB in 2019 and 2023. However, the reason for the replacement was not linked to the fuel control switch. There has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB,” the report said.The AAIB had added that “at this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers.”